Man, 19, accused of robbing CVS in Derry

DERRY — Police have arrested a 19-year-old man on charges that he robbed a CVS Pharmacy last month.

Edward Hewitt, no known address, was arrested on a warrant at 2:30 a.m. Sunday after turning himself in at the Derry Police Department, said Derry Police Capt. Vernon Thomas. Hewitt was also arrested on an electronic bench warrant out of Keene for failure to appear.On Sept. 16, a man entered the CVS Pharmacy at the intersection of East Broadway and Crystal Avenue and immediately drew a handgun.

He then led a clerk and other employees to the store pharmacy at gunpoint, Derry police said. The man demanded drugs from the pharmacist, who handed them to him. He then fled the store and was last seen heading east on East Broadway on foot. No injuries were reported, according to police.A search of the area was conducted by Derry police officers, with assistance by a New Hampshire State Police canine team.

The search was unsuccessful in locating the suspect, according to police.After the CVS robbery, police were able to obtain a photo of the suspect, who was wearing a disguise, from a surveillance camera.

So far this year there have been five robberies reported in Derry, compared to four for the same period in 2012, Thomas said.

Along with the CVS robbery, one other robbery in town possibly involved a gun while the other robberies didn’t, Thomas said, adding that the department statistics don’t specify the type of weapon involved in robberies.

Drugs seem to be the driving force behind a lot of robberies and other crimes in town, Thomas said.

“That’s not the only thing that exists but that’s one of the biggest motivators, probably the biggest motivators we deal with.” Thomas said.

There were a total of five robberies in Derry in 2012, Thomas said. Despite the increase, Derry is not seeing a dramatic surge in robberies as in Nashua.

In Nashua, there have been a number of robberies reported in the city in the last several weeks. Last year’s total of 28 robberies has already been surpassed, Nashua Police Lt. Denis Linehan said.

Derry police don’t believe the robberies in Derry are connected to the robberies in Nashua and other recent ones in the area, Thomas said.“There is no indication that these robberies are related to those cities’ crimes, Thomas said.

Hewitt is being held on $25,000 cash bail on the robbery charge and $500 cash for the bench warrant. He was transferred to the Rockingham County jail pending arraignment, according to police.